


Tea Leaves

by SophSaige



Series: Tea Leaves [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers, Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers Spoilers, Fluff, Homesickness, How Do I Tag, Mention of Character Death, One Shot, Patch 5.0: Shadowbringers Spoilers, coping with loss, no beta we die like men, no beta we just die
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:49:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24880351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophSaige/pseuds/SophSaige
Summary: “Do you care for anything in your tea?”The Ascian quirked an eyebrow. “Pardon?”“Your tea, do you want honey or anything in it?”“My tea?”“I’ll take that as a no.” She smiled, pouring hot water over a tea bag in a second mug before walking back to the balcony and holding it out to Emet-Selch. He hesitated, caught off guard by Vin’s gesture. She grinned at him with an earnestness that he didn’t think sundered souls were capable of - it made him sick.
Relationships: Solus zos Galvus | Emet-Selch & Warrior of Light, Solus zos Galvus | Emet-Selch/Original Character(s), Solus zos Galvus | Emet-Selch/Warrior of Light
Series: Tea Leaves [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1922944
Comments: 19
Kudos: 66





	Tea Leaves

Vin retired to her room at The Pendants early that night. Real nights were beginning to fall over parts of Norvrandt again, and had been in Lakeland for a bit now, but that hadn’t stopped the Crystarium residents from celebrating near every evening as the sun set. 

Normally one to join in the whoops and hollering as the moon rose, Vin had felt a small lump in her throat that evening, and opted instead to make herself a cup of tea and gaze upon the starlit sky from her balcony.

Sitting on the floor and looking toward the heavens, she hugged her mug of tea close to her chest. Vin sighed a long, deep exhale and closed her eyes. She felt the beginnings of small tears well, and was so engrossed in her thoughts that she hadn’t noticed the sound of a portal opening behind her and the footsteps of someone walking in.

“Do you make a habit of sitting on the ground _sulking_ , hero?”

Vin turned to see the visage of Emet-Selch leisurely walking onto the balcony. She quickly rubbed her eyes, removing any evidence of water from them, and smiled. Though she and the Scions had all agreed to be wary of Emet-Selch and his newfound passion as their “observer,” Vin was also of mind to employ her own strategy of dealing with the Ascian. Her mother’s words from her childhood echoed in her head - _Kill your enemies with kindness, and they may yet become friends._

“Just feeling a little homesick, is all.” Vin set her cup down and stood. Even standing, Emet-Selch’s form towered over her as he looked down at her, annoyed.

“You haven’t a _clue_ what ‘homesick’ actually is.” The vitriol in his voice was apparent.

“Care to enlighten me?” Vin asked, taking care to add an extra dash of cordiality to her tone. _Unprovoked hostility is how the wounded ask for affection._ Vin’s mother would be beside herself if she knew how much of her advice was being used to potentially save literal worlds.

Emet-Selch pursed his lips and turned his eyes to the sky.

“Mm, just as well, then.” Vin continued, walking back into her room toward the still warm kettle. “Do you care for anything in your tea?"

The Ascian quirked an eyebrow. “Pardon?” 

“Your tea, do you want honey or anything in it?”

“My _tea_?”

“I’ll take that as a no.” She smiled, pouring hot water over a tea bag in a second mug before walking back to the balcony and holding it out to Emet-Selch. He hesitated, caught off guard by Vin’s gesture. She grinned at him with an earnestness that he didn’t think sundered souls were capable of - it made him sick.

Vin urged the mug into his chest, “Go on then, take it. What kind of hostess would I be if I didn’t share a cup with my _most_ unexpected guest.” Her voice had taken a sing-songy air - she must be mocking him. Vin sat back down on the floor of the balcony, bringing her own mug of tea to her lips. “I haven’t any extra chairs, but the ground is just as good. Perhaps a bit more _grounding_ , even.” She laughed, pleased with herself as Emet-Selch rolled his eyes. Not mocking him then, just incredibly _banal_. She continued. “And to what do I owe such a visit?”

Emet-Selch paused, taking in the sight of Vin - a grown woman, seated on the ground like an animal. He took a moment to look into her room, she was right - there weren’t any extra chairs, and sighed in defeat before joining her on the balcony floor.

“Boredom.” He mused. “Not to say that you’re not boring yourself, but one must wonder why you’ve secluded yourself when you’ve proven to be quite the social butterfly - up until now, that is.”

“I told you, I’m homesick.” Her lighthearted insistence of the fact made Emet-Selch want to dump his tea over her head, but she began speaking again before he got the chance.

“I know it sounds childish, but I’d give just about anything to be by the fire at home right now with my head in my Ma’s lap while she brushes my hair, and my Da telling a story he made up just to see me smile.” Vin looked at him, taking note of the way his brow had furrowed. “You’re looking like you’re missing someone too.”

Emet-Selch tensed. Such a bother, this hero was, offering him an opportunity to be vulnerable. It was as if she didn’t know who he was, or was it that she simply didn’t care? Either way, he thought he might indulge her - just to see how she would react, if nothing else. 

His words quietly clipped out of his mouth. “My son.” 

“Mmmm.” Vin hummed in understanding, somber. The forlorn look that had flashed in his eyes for a moment was all too familiar to her. “I know it’s not the same as a parent losing a child, but I lost my little sister when she was young.” 

No, it wasn’t the same. 

“There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t miss her.” Vin paused as a serene little smile came to her lips. Her voice was soft and delicate as her eyes scanned the constellations above. “Phia was my best and closest friend. Even as children I knew she would be someone important. She was so brave, so headstrong - I was so proud to be her big sister. I was inconsolable after she died. And you know what my mother said?” Emet-Selch raised an eyebrow - this should be good. “The stars. The stars are everyone in the lifestream peering down on us - our ancestors, our family, and little sisters too.” She turned to look at him, obviously an attempt at making some sort of connection. “And sons.”

She turned her gaze back to the starlit horizon. “I still talk to her every night, let her know what I’m doing, where my thoughts are, how I’m changing and growing.” Vin placed her hand on top of Emet-Selch’s and gave a gentle squeeze. Eyes wide, he balked at her as she smiled up at him. “They’re not gone, not really. Not as long as we remember them.” 

As quickly as she had touched him, she withdrew her hand back to tenderly cradling her mug of tea. Emet-Selch hadn’t remembered the last time someone touched him like that - not a hint of hesitation or fear, without an ulterior motive or want. 

He forced his mouth into a frown. “You’re quite the dreamer, aren’t you, hero?”

“Perhaps.” Vin took a sip and sighed as the warmth of the liquid spread across her. “Life hurts too much when you’re busy missing people though.”

Emet-Selch scoffed inwardly. What could a sundered soul know of _missing_ anyone when they didn’t know what they had once been themselves? What could they know of real pain?

“Anyroad, this is nice!” The shift in Vin’s voice was palpable, he could almost taste the sunshine and cheer in it. So different from the care and sobriety she had when speaking of the stars. Would she taste as sweet as she sounded, he wondered. 

His wandering thoughts were pulled back to the balcony when she spoke again. “I’ve always thought tea to be the great equalizer. And look at me now, sitting on a balcony with the Ascian who founded the Garlean Empire! Such a shame they hadn’t thought of this on The Source when you rose to power.” Another laugh, like dried leaves in the wind. It grated Emet-Selch’s ears in a way that made him want more.

He took another sip of the cooling liquid, crumbs seeping out of the teabag and into the drink. “This tea is terrible.” he muttered.

A moment of hurt in her eyes at his comment disarmed him. No, he couldn’t have that. “If you intend to host me again after this, you _must_ get finer tea.” 

Vin laughed again - her breath danced on the air like Autumn. “Ha! Well, we’ll see about that. Considering everything else on my plate at the moment, ‘get better tea’ is not likely to be a very high priority.”

“You mean to say that receiving the _honorable_ Emet-Selch in your private chambers is _not_ of the utmost importance to you? Hm. I shall have to remember that.” His voice had a glint of playfulness as a grin flashed to his mouth. Seeing Vin’s reaction to his comment, trying to keep her composure as the slightest of blushes crept onto her cheeks, was _delicious_.

Vin chuckled yet again, her defense mechanism becoming increasingly obvious to the Ascian, and said “Yes, well, let’s not forget who invited themselves over before any sort of tea had been promised.” It was her turn to poke and prod, now. “One might wonder if Ascians are prone to loneliness.”

Emet-Selch’s eyes quickly bored into Vin, pointed and accusatory. Vin quickly looked back down at her mug - she had gone too far.

“If it’s any consolation, I’m glad for the company.” Her thumb traced the rim of the mug, thoughtful as she backpedaled. “Sometimes I feel as if people don’t care to know me as more than “the hero”, and even when they do our conversations rarely go beyond world-saving matters these days.” She looked back up at him, dove-like. “Thank you for letting me talk about Phia.”

Emet-Selch waved a hand dismissively. She seemed apologetic, so he was of mind to ignore her egregious attempt at a joke. “What you do or do not talk about is no concern of mine. As I’ve told you before, I’m merely an observer.”

“Well, either way, thank you for coming to observe the stars with me.” Vin gazed up into the sky, and out the corner of her eye caught Emet-Selch looking at her for a moment longer before also looking up himself.

The dark indigo dotted with flecks of silver seemed to stare back at them, the singular witness to a moment unencumbered by duty or alliances. No one could touch them under the protection of the night sky, enveloped in her infinite tranquility. Their comfortable silence was only embellished by a quiet sip of tea or or an almost inaudible sigh either of them would exhale. _Silence can oft be the best gift you can give to someone._ Vin’s mother would be proud.

Vin wasn’t sure how long they sat like that, but by the way the moon had shifted in the sky and how the cheers from the Crystarium had devolved to quiet bustling and then to silence, she could guess that it had been longer than either of them had intended. Her tea mug had long been empty, and she guessed Emet-Selch’s was as well by the way it sat near his feet undisturbed for some time now. It wasn’t clear which one of them turned to the other first, but both of their expressions had caught the other by surprise - as if they hadn’t expected the other to be looking at them. As if they had turned to look at a flower in their garden only to find it had been stolen away.

Emet-Slech stood, straightening his skirts with a quickness that Vin attributed to embarrassment. She opted to pretend she didn’t see any pink in his cheeks, even if it was rather cute on him. As quickly as it had appeared however, it was gone, and Emet-Selch was exuding his usual air of flippancy and superiority.

“Well hero, _somehow_ you’ve successfully robbed me of an adequate night’s sleep. If this is your grand plan to vanquish me however, it needs work.” He opened a portal beside him and began to leave.

“Emet-Selch!”

He stopped. “Yes?”

A moment hung in the air between them. Vin wished she could bottle it.

“You can always come by again, if you like.”

Emet-Selch looked at Vin - she was so hopeful, so _trusting_. He cocked an eyebrow at her. “Get better tea.”

Vin grinned as she shouted after him as he disappeared into the portal. “No promises!”

***

Vin awoke the next morning to warm sunshine caressing her face. She had left the balcony open when she went to bed so the night air could ease her into sleep. She had already eliminated any evidence of her guest, and if it wasn’t for two freshly clean mugs on her counter, she might have attributed the previous night’s events to a dream. An unexpected, pleasant dream.

After rubbing the bleariness from her eyes, Vin again made her way to the kettle, feeling the strangest pang of disappointment that she would only be brewing one cup this time. As the kettle heated, she grabbed a mug and reached for the tea, but found that the rumpled cardboard box was gone. 

In its place was a small lacquered box with small carvings of flowers on the outside. Vin grazed the carvings with her fingertips, in awe at how small the details on some of the greenery was. She opened the box - inside were none else but silken tea bags, a large upgrade to the flimsy paper ones she was accustomed to. The aroma of earthy black tea with hints of rose and cinnamon wafted up into her nose, making her mouth water. She imagined that if Fall had a smell, this would be it.

Vin smiled as she plopped one of the elegant tea bags unceremoniously into her mug. The great equalizer, indeed.

**Author's Note:**

> My eternal love and thanks to the [Emet Selch's Wholesomely Debauched & Enabling Bookclub](https://discord.gg/g2yzkAk) discord. Thank you everyone for being so supportive and encouraging me to get back into writing fics! This wouldn't exist without you guys! c:
> 
> If you like reading and/or writing FFXIV fanfiction, [come join us](https://discord.gg/g2yzkAk)! 
> 
> I also have a [Twitter](https://twitter.com/SophSaige) where I post FFXIV stuff and scream into the void.


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